"A computer terminal is not some clunky old television with a typewriter in front of it. It is an interface where the mind and body can connect with the universe and move bits of it about."
- Douglas Adams
"Mum, you really need to download 'ad blocker'", declares my media-savvy nine-year-old. From advertisements on trams to billboards; television programming to internet 'pop-ups'; daily newspapers to food packaging, today's children are saturated with media. Dezuanni and Raphael (2012) suggest that media art provides an appealing opportunity for children to project their learning: not only does it satisfyingly reach a wider audience but it also allows them to communicate in a preferred style. My younger son, for example, created this 'self-portrait' using 'Tagxedo' software:
As well as communicating, engagement with Media Art enhances critical awareness of a world that is, to varying degrees, mediated. Dunscombe (2013) highlights the importance of context, "the idea that a media text is the product of the society and the creative field that existed at the time that it was made, and contains the values and discourses of that time" (p. 86). Shenfield (2015) discusses the complex relationship between a learner's sociocultural and linguistic background and aesthetic response, pointing out that school may be "where the intersection of artistic expression and personal meaning is first created and explored" (p. 47). The short film 'Doggy Day Out', produced by Ngaanyatjarra Media, is an example of culturally-embedded expression through film: http://filmtv.ngmedia.org.au/player/#!/film/doggy-day-out. Continually negotiating and evaluating reliability, bias and relationships, it is essential that students receive guidance to become 'cybersmart': safe and responsible digital citizens (Dinham, 2013).
Resonant for me is the cross-curricular potential of media art forms, particularly the use of multi modal texts. Eisner (2002) points out that language is only one form of communication: "education can learn from the Arts that the limits of language are not the limits of cognition" (p. 5). McVeigh (2014) alerts us to the need to harness the inventive, intuitive and imaginative powers of students to explore the unfamiliar, "to tell a story, to share an experience, to ponder possibilities, to cast a net into the unknown" (p. 58). Importantly, though such stories should not rely on technology, media arts can potentially engage diverse and disinterested learners by providing powerful and dynamic communication alternatives (Dinham, 2013).
Devised by Walt Disney in the 1930s, 'storyboarding' is a way to conceptually and sequentially design visual narratives:
There are numerous software programs to facilitate digital storyboarding within the classroom. Students can feel 'professional': as we see in the short film Pushka, combining black and white illustrations with text and music, Stephen Mackey experiments as his work evolves.
To conclude with a sobering thought from Jean Baudrillard (1981), "We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning" (p. 91). Perhaps thoughtfully scaffolded immersion in Media Arts will ensure a more worthwhile legacy for our children.
Vikki
References:
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulcra and simulation. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Dezuanni, M. & Raphael, J. (2012). Media arts and learning in the digital world. In C. Sinclair, N. Jeannert & J. O'Toole (Eds), Education in the arts. Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Dinham, J. (2013). Delivering authentic arts education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.
Dunscombe, R. (2013). The past, the present and the future: The state of media education. Screen Education, 72, 84-88.
Eisner, E. (2002). What can education learn from the arts about the practice of education? Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 18(1), 4-16.
McVeigh, M. (2014). Lighting the fire: Can creativity be taught? Screen Education, 75, 58-63.
Shenfield, R. (2015). Literacy in the arts. Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, 23(1), 47-53.
As well as communicating, engagement with Media Art enhances critical awareness of a world that is, to varying degrees, mediated. Dunscombe (2013) highlights the importance of context, "the idea that a media text is the product of the society and the creative field that existed at the time that it was made, and contains the values and discourses of that time" (p. 86). Shenfield (2015) discusses the complex relationship between a learner's sociocultural and linguistic background and aesthetic response, pointing out that school may be "where the intersection of artistic expression and personal meaning is first created and explored" (p. 47). The short film 'Doggy Day Out', produced by Ngaanyatjarra Media, is an example of culturally-embedded expression through film: http://filmtv.ngmedia.org.au/player/#!/film/doggy-day-out. Continually negotiating and evaluating reliability, bias and relationships, it is essential that students receive guidance to become 'cybersmart': safe and responsible digital citizens (Dinham, 2013).
Resonant for me is the cross-curricular potential of media art forms, particularly the use of multi modal texts. Eisner (2002) points out that language is only one form of communication: "education can learn from the Arts that the limits of language are not the limits of cognition" (p. 5). McVeigh (2014) alerts us to the need to harness the inventive, intuitive and imaginative powers of students to explore the unfamiliar, "to tell a story, to share an experience, to ponder possibilities, to cast a net into the unknown" (p. 58). Importantly, though such stories should not rely on technology, media arts can potentially engage diverse and disinterested learners by providing powerful and dynamic communication alternatives (Dinham, 2013).
Devised by Walt Disney in the 1930s, 'storyboarding' is a way to conceptually and sequentially design visual narratives:
There are numerous software programs to facilitate digital storyboarding within the classroom. Students can feel 'professional': as we see in the short film Pushka, combining black and white illustrations with text and music, Stephen Mackey experiments as his work evolves.
To conclude with a sobering thought from Jean Baudrillard (1981), "We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning" (p. 91). Perhaps thoughtfully scaffolded immersion in Media Arts will ensure a more worthwhile legacy for our children.
Vikki
References:
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulcra and simulation. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Dezuanni, M. & Raphael, J. (2012). Media arts and learning in the digital world. In C. Sinclair, N. Jeannert & J. O'Toole (Eds), Education in the arts. Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Dinham, J. (2013). Delivering authentic arts education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.
Dunscombe, R. (2013). The past, the present and the future: The state of media education. Screen Education, 72, 84-88.
Eisner, E. (2002). What can education learn from the arts about the practice of education? Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 18(1), 4-16.
McVeigh, M. (2014). Lighting the fire: Can creativity be taught? Screen Education, 75, 58-63.
Shenfield, R. (2015). Literacy in the arts. Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, 23(1), 47-53.
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